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Overview

The Kings Advanced Level Foundation is based on A-level syllabuses, taught by A-level teachers, assessed against A-levels and moderated by an independent Advisory Board of external examiners. As such, it is one of the most highly academic and successful pathways to leading UK universities.

Art and Design is an elective module within the Foundation, and is ideal for students who are interested in studying an art or architecture-related subject at university.

Key Facts

Start Dates:

  • 8 April 2024 (Extended programme only)
  • 1 July 2024 (Extended programme only)
  • 9 September 2024
  • 6 January 2025

Colleges:

  • Bournemouth
  • Brighton
  • Oxford

Entry level:

  • Academic: Completed 11-12 years of schooling
  • English: IELTS 5.5 or equivalent

Minimum age:

  • 16.5

Length:

  • 1 Academic Year (3 terms)
  • Extended programme: 1-2 Academic Years (4-7 terms)

Lessons:

  • Average 21 hours per week (plus homework and private study)

Learning outcomes

  • The ability to communicate ideas in visual form.  
  • The skills to paint and draw in various media for different purposes. 
  • The ability to recognise and be able to use the expressive potential of different materials and processes. 
  • The ability to make connections between own work projects and that of other artists and designers, past and present, from their own and other cultures. 
  • Experience of effectively using the resources of museums and galleries and drawing on these for ideas and inspiration. 
  • The ability to articulate a personal view of the subject. 

Course content and structure

The Advanced Level Foundation programme is highly flexible, and able to adapt to the needs and academic aspirations of each student. It does this through a combination of core modules and a series of elective modules which can be combined in different ways to create main subject streams.

Art and Design is one of the many elective modules offered, and an overview of the syllabus content is shown below.

Course structure and content

Term 1

  • Natural Form Project – introducing students to key skills, key processes and recording techniques.  
  • At the end of term 1, students will take Exam one which is 30% of their total grade. The exam will involve two, three hour exams to complete their final piece(s). 

Term 2

  • Human Figure Project – introducing students to research, documentation, reflection and presentation.   
  • At the end of term 2, they will take the Assignment module one which is 35% of the total grade.   

Term 3

  • A Level questions – students will select from a range of A-level themed questions one direction to develop into a personal outcome(s) in their choice of media.
  • At the end of term 3, students will take Exam two, which is 35% of their total grade. The exam will involve two three-hour exams to complete their final piece(s).

Sample subject combinations with Art and Design

  • Art and Design, Business and Mathematics
  • Art and Design, Politics, Human Geography
  • Art and Design, Geography, Mathematics

Sample enrichment activities

  • Regular exhibition visits 
  • Weekly life drawing sessions in Oxford 
  • Trips to the Ashmolean Museum/Tate Modern/ Tate Britain/ Hayward/Serpentine and commercial galleries such as White Cube and Hauser and Wirth/ Victoria and Albert Museum/ Design Museum/ National Portrait Gallery 
  • Photography Club 
  • Textiles Club 
  • Fashion Club 

Recommended reading

Below is a list of text books normally used on this course, as well as books which may help you prepare for your studies prior to arrival. In many cases the textbooks will be supplied by the school, and you may borrow them for the duration of your time at school. However, if you already know what three subjects you want to choose you may prefer to purchase one before you arrive.

  • Ways of Seeing by John Berger (Paperback, 2008) 
  • The fundamental series of: art, graphic design, illustration, interior design, fashion design, architecture and animation Bloomsbury Publishing PLC , AVA Publishing SA 
  • The story of art – Author Leonie Gombrich, Phaidon Press Ltd  

Sample academic calendar (2023-2024)

Year 1

September

  • 11th: term starts
  • Student induction

October

  • 23 – 27th: half term
  • Progress tests

November

  • University fairs and talks

December

  • 15th: term ends
  • End of term exams

January

  • 8th: term starts

February

  • 15th – 16th: half term
  • Progress tests
  • University fairs

March

  • End of term exams
  • 22nd: term ends

April

  • 8th: term starts

May

  • Progress tests

June

  • Exams
  • 14th: term ends

Progression

Recent alumni

Below are some of the recent students who took the Art and Design module, including information about the university they progressed to and the degree course they are doing.

Mariana Peloso Do Nascimento

  • Art & Design/Geography/Biology/CSS/Data
  • University for the Creative Arts
  • Film Production 

Rong Han

  • Art & Design/Geography/Mathematics/CSS/Data
  • University of Edinburgh
  • Landscape Architecture

Naheemat Mustapha

  • Art & Design/Geography/Mathematics/CSS/Data
  • University of Edinburgh
  • Architecture

Ana Sofia da Silva Ferraz

  • Art & Design/Business/Mathematics/CSS/Data
  • Oxford Brookes University
  • Architecture

Irina Gorskaia

  • Art & Design/Politics/Human Geography/Data/ CSS
  • University of Winchester
  • Fashion, Media and Marketing 

Saruj Tangtaratorn

  • Art & Design/Economics/Mathematics/CSS/Data
  • Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts
  • Music, Theatre and Entertainment Management 

Thank you for your enquiry.
We'll be in touch soon.
The Kings Admissions Team